With 9.2 Million Viewers and 6.8 Million Households Tuning In Last Night, TNT’s The Closer Breaks Live and Same Day Record for Ad-Supported Cable’s #1 Series Telecast Ever

There’s no stopping TNT’s phenomenal hit The Closer: Last night’s summer finale delivered an extraordinary 9.2 million viewers and 6.8 million households, setting a new record for ad-supported cable’s largest Live + Same Day audience ever for a single series telecast, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. The previous record was set in June with The Closer’s third-season premiere, which scored 8.8 million viewers and 6.4 million households in Live + Same Day viewing.

To date, The Closer ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time among households and viewers. Among key adult demos, the show chalks up tremendous double-digit growth when comparing Live to Live + 7 Day time-shifted (DVR) viewing. The critically acclaimed crime drama stars Golden Globe® winner and two-time Emmy® nominee Kyra Sedgwick as an LAPD investigator and interrogator with a remarkable talent for trapping criminals in their lies. The show will return in December with a two-hour special event marking the close of its third outstanding season. In addition, TNT has ordered 15 episodes for the fourth season, set to launch next summer.

“It’s hard to imagine a better track record for success than what we’ve seen with The Closer,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. “Record-breaking performances, chart-topping growth, extraordinary DVR viewership among young adults and an abundance of critical praise and awards, add up to make The Closer the new gold standard for the industry.”

Ratings claims for The Closer’s summer finale and overall performance:
• Last night’s summer finale of The Closer now holds the record for ad-supported cable’s largest Live + Same Day audience ever for a single telecast among viewers (9,207,000) and households (6,839,000).
• The third-season premiere of The Closer on June 18 currently holds the record for ad-supported cable’s largest Live + 7 Day audience ever for a single telecast among viewers (9,546,000) and households (6,885,000), but that number is expected to be eclipsed by last night’s summer finale when Live + 7 Day data is available in two weeks.
• On the DVR front, when comparing Live + 7 Day viewing to Live viewing, the show averages outstanding 39% growth among adults 18-34, 35% growth among adults 18-49 and 29% growth among adults 25-54.
• For individual episodes, time-shifted viewing among adults 18-49 has been reaching extraordinary heights. When comparing Live vs. Live + 7 Day viewing, the Aug. 6 episode scored a tremendous 51% boost, the Aug. 13 episode garnered a 47% boost and the Aug. 20 chalked up a 39% boost.
• With its success showing no signs of slowing down, The Closer ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time among households and viewers.

Sedgwick took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series this year for her performance as the feminine yet forceful, offbeat yet indomitable CIA-trained Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a former Atlanta detective brought to Los Angeles to head a special LAPD unit charged with cracking sensitive, high-profile murder cases. She is an expert at digging into a person’s secrets and obtaining confessions, despite constantly struggling with her own imperfections and neuroses. In addition to Sedgwick, The Closer’s Screen Actors Guild Award®-nominated ensemble cast will be back for the fourth season, including Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Raymond Cruz, Michael Paul Chan and Gina Ravera.

The Closer comes to TNT from The Shephard/Robin Company in association with Warner Bros. Television and is executive-produced by Greer Shephard (Nip/Tuck, The D.A.), Michael M. Robin (Nip/Tuck, The D.A., NYPD Blue) and James Duff (The D.A., The Agency) and produced by Andrew J. Sacks (The D.A, Adaptation, Two Soldiers) with Kyra Sedgwick also serving as producer. Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney from 1992 to 2000, is a consulting producer.